Is Ron Telles the Right Person to Turn Around WhidbeyHealth?

Good morning. It’s Saturday, and the sun is trying to peek through. It’s also a new dawn for our community hospital. In the last four days, WH has replaced its CEO of four years with its Chief Financial Officer, who has also held down that job here for about four years. When Ron came on board, I was attending every board meeting, watching him in action, and of course rendering advice to the Board and administrators, which went unheeded. I haven’t looked into his soul, but I have a feel for the kind of person he is.

I have good news for readers. Ron has the exact opposite personality of our two prior CEOs. Tom Tomasino and Geri Forbes were dominating presences, who spent most of their time consolidating their power and control over the institution. They were control freaks, and they ruled over the place with an iron hand – that includes their relationship with the board of directors, who were only too eager to let them have their way in almost everything. They tried to intimidate all who got in their way, and did so largely by holding the threat of losing one’s job over employees’ heads. Tomasino did it more quietly, whereas Forbes was less subtle in exercising her will.

Ron Telles isn’t that kind of person, and doesn’t possess that kind of personality. He’s friendly, informal, jovial – even fun. Being around Geri was seldom fun, it was mostly tense. Unless I’ve been fooled, he’s not a Machiavelian presence, not a behind-the-scenes plotter or manipulator. I have no reason to believe that he’s a self-promoter in the way his two predecessors were. I think he’ll work with, rather than try to dominate, WH’s board members. Like a tsunami ware, Geri just overwhelmed them. And for most of her four years here, the record is clear: they adored her, considered her to be a savior!

Ron is not just a general accountant. His entire 18-year financial job history is one of being a financial expert or executive for hospitals or health-related institutions. He’s held around a half-dozen such jobs, steadily working his way northward through California, Nevada, then Oregon, and now Whidbey Island. I once commented that if he ever leaves us, he’ll likely go to Canada next. 

While he’s been mostly a CFO, he also has experience at being a Chief Operations Officer (COO). In fact Linked In indicates he’s also been the COO (Operations) for WhidbeyHealth – though WH’s web site doesn’t mention that. The COO job here sat unfilled for years, so maybe it was felt someone should hold that title. 

I’ve never heard anyone complain about his financial knowledge or how he conducts his business. Ron also seems to enjoy the small-town lifestyle that Coupeville affords.

The Question Is . . .

Ron Telles is a fine fellow, but is he equipped to be an effective CEO? After almost eleven years of having the wrong persons in the top job, it’s critical that the third time is the charm for WhidbeyHealth.

They say that being the CEO of a hospital is as challenging as executive jobs get. There are invariably many facilities and structures to be maintained, in the case of WH there are around 700 employees to be managed, there are books full of governmental regulations to be followed, and there are the many scientific aspects of medicine to be kept up with. In the case of a community hospital, and especially for a small-rural community, a fairly cozy, if not intimate, relationship must be developed, and kept in good repair, with the residents of the district. 

Often financial expertise is viewed as being at one end of the business spectrum, and human resources at the other end. Can Ron be both a financial and a personnel wizard? My feeling is: we don’t know, but will find out quickly. Ron is currently the “interim” CEO, but on May 13, the hospital board intends to give him the job on a permanent basis. 

In a related matter, the Whidbey News-Times just days ago reported that Board President Ron Wallin stated:that the hospital board intends to be "more involved" moving forward. He said this won’t mean “micro managing,” but that the commissioners want to receive input from the staff and public. Thank you, Mr. Wallin. I shall do my part to provide you with lots of public input. 

Readers of Whidbey Watchdog also can provide their input, as the President urges, both by providing comments to our posts and by submitting your own words (to robborn28@gmail.com) concerning WhidbeyHealth. More on that at another time.

What’s the Rush?

Given our hospital’s (in my opinion) atrocious record at selecting CEOs, and given that Telles’ experience is very much in the financial world, and not so much in the health administration area, why would the Board want to make his job permanent so quickly? Why the big hurry? 

Consider this: the same day that Wallin told us he hopes to elicit more input from the public going forward, he also informed us that on May 13 the Board plans to make Ron Tellus the permanent CEO. The Board thus plans on acting without ANY public input or discussion on this critical matter. Is this a little hypocritical or what?

In the prior two hirings, the Board at least made a pretense of listening to the public. As I recall, they had the final candidates introduce themselves to an audience of employees, as well as a select group of public leaders. I think on one or both occasions they also held public question-and-answer sessions of the candidates in Langley, Coupeville, and Oak Harbor. 

Assuming the board members don’t heed my request that they all resign (see the “Sound off” in today’s Whidbey News-Times), I implore the five of them to not act hastily in taking a third crack at hiring a suitable CEO. Keep Ron Tellus on for a year, and as the end of that time nears, scrutinize his work performance, let the employees have their say as to whether they wish him to be retained as their leader, and also open-mindedly listen to their constituents before making the most important decision they can make. 

I personally would feel more confident that the board has been thorough and diligent if it advertised the job and had Telles compete with a couple of the top outside prospects. That’s the business-like way of selecting a CEO.  

Parting Thought 

The leaders of our hospital like to brag about how fine a hospital we have, and but for the problems we keep having at the top I’m fine with that. But at the same time, they constantly let out that it’s so hard to get competent administrators, surgeons, physicians, medical professionals, and employees at all levels to come to Whidbey. I have no such inferiority complex about my community. Whidbey isn’t Forks or Moses Lake. I think it’s one of the most attractive locations of the State’s 38 rural hospitals. 

We should have our pick of fine and talented employees from top to bottom. It’s the reputation that we’ve garnered over the past two administrations, not an undesirable living environment, which has made hiring here so very difficult for the last decade or so. The flip side of the coin is that after experiencing the environment "inside" the hospital, many new employees decide to leave.

Believe me, medical professionals thoroughly check out a hospital before they proceed to hire on and relocate their families. Their professional reputations are at stake too – good employees don’t want to be associated with a place riddled with scandal, noted for slip-shod practices, or notorious for being in violation of state regulations. Doctors, in particular, want to hear what fellow doctors who’ve worked there think of the place. Most of all, medical professionals want to know if the work environment is welcoming, stimulating, and merit-based. They certainly don’t like to be pushed around by administrators, pressured to do sub-standard work, or caught up in political tugs-of-war.

Ron Telles might well turn out to be not only a suitable, but an exceptional, CEO. But let’s have him earn the job by proving that he’s the best of applicants, not – as we’ve been doing - the only applicant left standing. The WH board members know and wholeheartedly support Ron and the job he's done as CFO, but being a CEO is a whole new ball of wax.

Best wishes, Ron, on the new challenge that awaits you. The Watchdog is excited about how your outgoing personality might infuse an entire institution with a shot of optimism, energy, and relief. Maybe you’ll even introduce some transparency to the place. 

And by the way, when I see you next, I’ll be asking for your position on getting WH accredited.